


Whumptober 16

by Waywocket



Category: Steam Powered Giraffe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-16
Updated: 2020-10-16
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:20:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,231
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27037843
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Waywocket/pseuds/Waywocket
Summary: Spine starts seeing things while waiting for repairs. Is everything he sees a hallucination?
Comments: 6
Kudos: 15
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	Whumptober 16

It had been a long few weeks. At least for The Spine. The Walters had to order special parts and tools. Ones they didn’t expect to be out of or be so worn through. So all upgrades and maintenance had been postponed until they arrived.

Rabbit has danced in excitement about it, singing that she hoped they never came! No one thought she meant it, of course. There were things she would give on to keep running and make all of her ever-changing faces.

At first, The Spine hadn’t minded. He was normally in good repair, so he figured it would hardly affect him at all. If only that had been the truth of it.

Something was wrong with him. But there was nothing to be done. They couldn’t even connect him to run diagnostics. He would just have to keep an eye on it. 

The trouble has started with shadows dancing around the edges of his vision. It would flash by, too fast to guess what it could have been. At first, it had only been now and again. But as time went on, it seemed like there was always something there. Something just out of his line of sight.

At first, he assumed it was one of his siblings playing tricks on him again, as they so often did. But when he saw the flash while talking to Rabbit, he knew it had to be something more. 

He checked the logs in the H.O.W. for unwanted guests, and nothing was there. For a while, he tried to ignore it. Probably just some worn-out wires, nothing to fret over.

Warming up some water one early morning, to warm up his systems if anyone asked, he screamed, dropping the mug he had been holding. The shadow was a large copper trunk that had tried to wrap around his middle. He jumped, nearly landing on the table, trying to get away.

When Six came running for the scream, The Spine smiled and raised his hands in defense and apology. “Sorry, Petes. Thought I saw a mouse run by, and it gave me a start.”

Six tilted his head. Tilted in that way Spine knew he didn’t believe him. “Since when are you afraid of mice? Are you an elephant now?” He teased, not knowing why Spine cringed at the choice animal.

“Sorry, Peter. I just wasn’t paying enough attention. I’ll clean this up.”

And for a while, that was that. He just had to remind himself that his wires were stressed. He should just try and relax. Eventually, the trunk didn’t bother him anymore.

Until he swore he saw one on an elephant charging down the halls at him, trunk raised to knock him off his feet. Core pulsing faster, he bent down to try and get under it as he had all those years ago. One good charge would at least slow it down.

His peace protocols kicked in painfully, stopping him from using his Tesla gun. There wasn’t a real threat to the safety had kicked on. When it failed, he panicked, trying to find some way to stop the giant beast. The elephant ran through him, leaving him standing in the hall, looking a fool.

Still trying to look out for the imaginary threats, he heard his fans kick into high gear as if he were overheating. But running a self-scan said his temperature was nominal. Still, he started to feel hot, like out on the desert again.

It was quickly getting out of hand. He hoped the parts came in soon. The Spine was getting desperate for some relief.

Instead of relief, things got worse. The sounds were next. Metal scraping against metal. He winced at the sound and looked around. At first, he had assumed it was his siblings. Rabbit was probably getting Zer0 into some weird game of hers. It was always something with them. But he was alone. 

The sound came again. Much louder this time, and with a sickening crunch that made a shiver run down his spine. Something was wrong. Next was stomping down the halls. Those put him on high alert as he looked around. Something was here! He just knew it.

When he heard the eerie call of the copper elephants, his core seemed to drop into his boiler. In a panic, he put a warning over the wifi that they were being attacked and called his siblings to him. They had to protect the manor.

They spent hours combing through the manor for any sign of elephants, copper, or otherwise. But there was nothing for them to find. Another trick of his worn-down wires.

“I’m sorry, I swear I heard them calling and stomping down the halls.”

“Aw, it’s it’s it’s alright, Sp-Spine!” Rabbit gave her brother a pat on the shoulder. “Musta been one of them daymares,” she teased. “Seeing as it’s daytime and all.”

The Spine gave her an unamused scowl, but he laughed. “Must be. Guess I stayed up too late practicing, huh? I’ll turn in early tonight, see if that does the trick.” It wouldn’t, but it kept the others from worrying.

Even if he was malfunctioning, there wasn't anything they could do about it until the order came in. Better not to worry them. For now, he’d just stay locked up in the Hall of Wires. It was safe there, at least. These hallucinations wouldn’t trick him in there.

Or so he had thought. It had hardly been a day since they had chased his copper elephants around the manor. For less than a day, he had been hiding in the red lit room. But working on some wires, he saw something glowing green from the corner of his eye. 

At first, he tried to ignore it, just another trick of his mind. No point in wasting time on illusions. But it grew brighter the more he ignored it. Then clicking. The sounds of bootheels on the metal floor. 

Looking up, he seized. Standing just in front of him was Thaddeus Becile. 

That couldn’t be right Thaddeus was dead. Just another trick. Squaring his shoulders, he looked calmly at the illusion in front of him. 

“You’re not real! You’re just in my head! Wires are loose and processing memories.”

Thaddeus grinned widely at that, a menacing look. Then, he stepped closer. That grin growing wider.

“You’re, you’re not real!” He said again, his voice starting to shake. He had to believe it, make himself believe it. Still, he stepped back, his back hitting the wall. It was a trick of the mind, he wasn’t real. The Spine just had to wait for this one to pass too.

The man reached out, taking Spine’s arm in his hand. The metal started to warp and melt at his touch.

Screaming, he tried to get away, tried to pull his arms free. “It’s in my head! You’re just in my head! You aren’t real. You died, you’re dead,” he cried, trying to believe it.

While he thrashed, Thaddeus’ grin grew darker. He reached for Spine’s core. There was a creak of metal as the core gave way under the green matter radiation. In one swift pull, the blue matter core came free, slowly pulsing in his glowing hand.

The Spine dropped to the floor in a heap, blue matter oozing from the hole in his chest.


End file.
